Emergency Squad Teaches CPR to DPW Employees

The Department of Public Works learned life-saving techniques from the Chatham Emergency Squad.

Leaf Pick-Up Falls Behind in Chatham Borough

The Chatham Borough Council asks residents to take their leaves to the mulch center, if possible.

Bob Venezia, the head of the Department of Public Works, told the Chatham Borough Council Monday night that the second round of leaf pick-up has been postponed due to the early winter snowstorm in October. "We got through the first round," Venezia said, but he said the DPW will likely only complete one more round before winter weather sets in. Typically, he said, the DPW completes three rounds of leaf collection in the fall between late October and early November. Part of the reason for the delay is brush pick-up from the Oct. 29 snowstorm, which left trees, branches and wires down all over town. Since the storm, Venezia said, the department's efforts have been almost exclusively focused on brush pick-up. Venezia said he doubts leaf pick-…

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Tony Britt

9:37 am on Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Bob Venezia and his team at DPW have been doing a tremendous job as usual but especially this year-with Irene and the snow storm. Well done guys.   more ›

No Second Brush Pick-Up for Chatham Borough

A second brush pick-up, along with leaf pick-up and preparing for winter, is impossible to do within the DPW budget, officials said.

The Chatham Borough Council decided not to permit a second brush pick-up through town in order to catch up on leaf pick-up and keep the budget under control. Bob Venezia, the head of the borough's Department of Public Works (DPW), said overtime and outside contractors were authorized after the early winter storm to help pick up branches and trees which came down. As of Monday evening, he said the DPW had picked up brush from over half of the borough. "I feel confident that we can be done by the end of this week," Venezia said, but he added calls have already come in asking after leaf pick-up and a second brush pick-up. The department's efforts have focused on brush pick-up since the storm. Of the department's 16 employees, 14 have been …

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Township Estimates Hurricane Costs at $400K

The number is soft and includes damages, which are still being assessed, staff overtime and expenses.

Chatham Township Police Chief and Emergency Management Coordinator John Paton told the township committee Thursday that Hurricane Irene cost the township approximately $400,000. The cost, Paton said, includes staff overtime for police and Public Works employees, expenses and damages. The damage assessment is still being evaluated, Paton said. Administrator Tom Ciccarone commended the police and DPW staff who worked throughout the hurricane. He said John Pacelli, the director of the township DPW, stayed overnight and slept in his office for three nights. "I found out he wasn't able to go home," Ciccarone said, "so I authorized him to stay at a hotel one night and get a good night's sleep. He needed it at that point." Mayor Nicole Hagner …

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Severe Storms Wednesday Bypassed Chatham

Despite a tornado warning for the area, Chatham saw hardly any hints of a storm.

Chatham Township and Chatham Borough saw hardly any hint of a tornado Wednesday, despite a tornado warning by the National Weather Service. The NWS issued the warning for all of Morris County effective through 5:45 p.m. last night, according to a Nixie alert released by the Chatham Township Police Department. "It rained very lightly, and that was it," said John Pacelli, the director of the township's Department of Public Works. "It seems to have been isolated to Morristown and headed east." Pacelli said he had received no reports of any damage in the township. As of Thursday morning, the NWS predicted a 60 percent chance of thunderstorms until 8 p.m., and more on Friday. "This time of year, there's always the chance of thunderstorms in the…

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New Public Works Director Digs In

'One of those winters,' greets the latest department head.

Even though his position did not officially begin until Tuesday, John Pacelli, Chatham Township’s new Director of Public Works, already had his feet wet. Literally. With several storms hitting during his first three weeks on duty, the new chief has been logging long hours battling the elements. “I was sworn in on Jan. 6,” said Pacelli, “but I’ve been serving since Dec. 31, the day after Joe Barilla retired.” And though all the snow and ice have kept him and his crew working long hours, Pacelli did allow himself a few moments of reflection when he took the reigns on New Year’s Eve. “I’d just finished my 28th year with the department,” he said, “and I must say I felt great that first day. I’d achieved a goal I’d had for a long while; I …

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UPDATE: Borough Starts to Plow Roads

Employees were out in the borough and the township Friday at 5:30 a.m.

Snow removal and road maintenance in Chatham Township is going well as of Friday morning, according to the Department of Public Works. In Chatham Borough, DPW head Bob Venezia said employees would begin to plow the roads after noon, "to get the slush off the roads before tonight when it freezes." The storm, according to Venezia, is likely to move off the coast, where it will reintensify and then head back inland, hitting New York state and likely missing New Jersey. Workers in both the township and borough have been out on the roads since 5:30 a.m., according to Venezia and John Pacelli, the newly sworn DPW director in Chatham Township. Salt has been effective in keeping township roads safe thus far, Pacelli said. "Everything is picking up…

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You Ask ... Patch Answers

When Will Trash, Recycling and Trees Be Collected?

Delay in delivery of borough calendars results in confusion over pickup dates.

Welcome to "You Ask … Patch Answers," the column for Chathamites looking for solutions to community problems or issues. One reader asked, What is going on with the green garbage bags? I heard they are 'honoring' the green bags through the end of February. Does that mean we can use any bags in January and February? Or do we need the green ones?  Another reader asked, When will the borough be picking up the recycling? We didn't get our Borough Calendars this year and we don't know when to put the recycling out. Another reader asked, When will the borough pick up the Christmas trees? Since all these questions are related, Chatham Patch brings you the answers in today's column. Solid Waste and Trash Collection Chatham Borough is currently …

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A Life in Public Works

Retiring DPW head looks back on his career.

Director Joe Barilla joined Chatham Township Department of Public Works on Mar. 19, 1973, and the calendar seemed to bode a bright future. "It was St. Joseph's Day," he said. "I took it as a sign from heaven." Barilla had further reason to feel optimistic. He had been job hunting since being laid off from a construction firm, and after applying at six other towns he was hired "on the spot." His wedding was coming up, which made his new position even more important. Thirty-seven years later, Barilla announced his retirement from the DPW, effective this week. Barilla said he began "at the bottom as a laborer-serviceman," and his first day made it plain how arduous and unpredictable his work would be. A springtime snowstorm had occurred, and …

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Video: Curbside Leaf Collection

If you can spend a season picking up leaves, you can do anything in Public Works.

Borough residents have had weekly curbside leaf collection through the Department of Public Works for the last two years. For leaf collection, DPW head Bob Venezia divides the borough into three zones, and a team of four men with two trucks collect the leaves out of each zone. It takes three men to operate the leaf vacuum: one to drive the truck, one to operate the hose and another to help rake the leaves into the hose. A fourth man drives the second truck so that once the first truck is filled, the driver can take it to the mulch area south of the middle school and dump the leaves without causing an interruption in the collection. I drove around with some of the DPW employees in the leaf vacuum this November to show me how the operation …

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